Tire.



G. W. SHARPE.

TIRE, APPLICATION FILED MAY 14, 1908. RBNBWBD AUG 27 mw. 1 w jf oo, z w f mi 9 d 0 e 1 mum E n W/TNE SSE S 'entren snaren iernnr ,reine GEORGE WILLIAM SHRPE, 0F NEW YORK, Y.

TIR-E.

Specification of Letters Patent Patented Sept. 28, 1999.

Application le May 14, i908, Serial No. 432,354-, Renewed August 27, 1969. Seria No. 514,900.

To all whom it mah concern:

Be it known t iat.- I. GEORGE v/TILLLAM Simnrn, a. citizen of the United States, and a resident. of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State oi:l New York, have invented a. new and iinproved Tire, of which the following is a. full,l

clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved tire for use on automobiles and other vehicles, and arranged to render the tire exceedingly strong, durable, puncture proof and flexible, and to prevent blow-outs or bursting of the tire.

My tire is rendered puncture-proof by virtue of overlapping short strips of steel or other sheet armor material embedded in the rubber or other material forming the shoe or protecting jacket of the tube, As distinguished from the so-called lish-scale structures of the prior art, the overlapping protecting strips in my tire are not in contactand cannot rub on one another, 'and thereby generate hcatwithin the tire. The strips in my tire are furthermore securely anchored or held in place by rivets at either end. ln the prior art, where short strips of this character have been employed they have been held at one ond only, and then not by yindividual retaining means, such as rivets,

but by wires on which several of the strips have been threaded 'or strung. Such 'wires ,having not thc strength necessary to resist the tendency ot' the strips to creep, and, under the strains to wlnch the wn'esare subjected, they either tear the fabric or themscale structures have been that the scales' creep over each other, leaving unprotected spotson the tire and, by'iinally buncliing on top of one another, cause a break in the tube. In creeping over and rubbingon one another a degree of heat is generated in the tire' not uncommonly sufiicient to cause a blow-out in the tube. fish-scale structures add nothing to the resiliency of the tire, but, on the contrary, stiften itperceptib'ly:` In my structure the resiliency of the tire is greatly increased by the protecting strips and these strips will maintain the tire resilient after the life of the rubber is gone.

The invention consists of other novel features and parts and combinations of the same, which will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

-A practicalembodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specication, in which similar characters of reference indicate correspondingr parts in all the. views.

Figure l is a cross section of the improvement, showing the rein forcing member inter-l posed between the shoe and the inner tube; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the reinforcing member of the tire on the line 2-2 of l? il; Fig. 3 is a. plan view of the reinforcing member flat-tened out and parts broken out to show the successive layers; Fig.

4 is an enlarged cross section of'the same on the line mi of Fig. Fig. 5 is a cross section of the improvement showing' the reinforcing member interposed between the tread and the inner layer of canvas of the slice; and Fig. is a cross section of the im'- provement showing` the reinforcing' member in place of the tread in case the latter has worn away.

l'n the tire shown in Fig. l, the reinforcing member A is interposed between the usual outer shoe B and the inner inflatable tube C, and, as illustrated in Fig. 5, the reinforcing member A is interposed between the tread B and the inner can fas B2 of the shoe B3, and, as shown in Fig. 6, the reinforcing member AA is st upped or otherwise secured to the outer shoe B* in place'of the usual tread, in case such tread has worn oif.

Although I have shown and described the preferred applications 'of the reinforcing member A on the tire, it is evident thatl do The ordinary disk' not limit myself tol'Such applications, as

'the reinforcing meinbei A may be used in ydetail in Figs. 2, 3 and il, is formed of two layers of metallicplates or strips D, D, each plate or strip being made of thin steel, preferably copper plated, but plates or strips of copper or other material may be used. The plates or strips D and. D are arranged lengthwise in the direction of the periphery of the tire, .and the layers of plates er strips D and D overlap transversely and lengthwise, as plainly lindicated in Fig. 3. lhe layers of plates or strips D, D are separated from each other by a fabric material E, preferably rubber, in which theplates or strips are embedded, as plainly indicated in Fig. 4,'a-nd the ends of the plates or strips D and D are yfastened by rivets Fand F lto sheets G, Gr of canvas or other fabric material, and the sheets G and G are covered by sheets H, H of canvas or other fabric ina-- terial, and the several. `sheets are cemented,

' glued or otherwise fastened together, to complete the reinforcing member.

By reference to Fig. 3, it will be seen that each layer of plates or strips D, D consists' of sets of plates, each set. being formed of a number of plates .spaced apart in a transverse direction, and successive sets l'ieing spaced apart at their ends, to render the reinforcing member exceedinglyflexible in a transverse as well as in a. lengthwise direction, thus rendering the tire exceedingly strong, durable and flexible, at the saine tiine nniking the tire puncture-proof and'Ln'evenling blow-outs or bursting ofthe tire.

As shown iii the drawings, it is preferred.

to use four plates D in each set for the innermost layer of .plates and three plates D in each set for the outermost layer of plates, but the number of plates in each set may be varied and the plates may be made narrower or wider orlonger or shorter than indicated in Fig. 3.

By riveting each plate D or D at both ends to the corresponding sheet Gr or G, it is evident that the plates are firmly held in place and hence are not liable to creep either in a lengthwise or in a transverse direction.

By having the plates overlappingin both a transverse and lengthwise direction, it is evident that the tire is rendered puncturepi-oof.

Having thus described my invention, l claim as new and desire to secure by l'ietters Patent: y

L A protective member for tires consisting of tough .flexible mat rial having attached thereto a plurality of layers of short elongated strips ofarmor material, the strips gered with.A respect to the strips of the next layer, so that the spaces between strips in one layer are covered by the strips of another layer, said strips being so disposed iii the protective member as to extend lengthwise of the periphery of the tire when the protective member .is applied to the tire.

2. A protective member for tires consisting of tough flexible material having attached thereto a plurality of layers of short elongated strips of armor material, the strips of each layer being slightly spaced from the adjacent strips of the same layer, and the strips of the one layei overlapping and. being staggered withrespect to the strips of the next'layer so that the spaces between the strips of one layer are covered by the strips of another layer, said strips being so disposed in the protective member as to extend lengthwise of the periphery of the 'tire' p lwhen the protective member is applied to the tire, and rivets securing said strips at both ends thereof to the flexible iiiaterial by which they are carried. l

3. A. protective member for tires con-sistiiig of tough flexible material carrying a plurality of layers 'of short elongated strips of resilient armor material, each of said strips being riveted at both ends to the material bywhich lthey are carried, lie strips of each layer being slightly spaced from the adjacent strips of the samelayer, land a body of flexible material interposed between the successive layers of strips to prevcnt contact of the strips of one layer with the strins of another layer, the strips of one layer overlapping and being staggered with respect to the strips of the next layer so that the spaces between tlie'strips in one layer are covered by the strips of another ayer, said strips being so disposed in the' protective member as to extend lengthwise or the periphery' of the tire when the protective member is applied to the tire.

al. A protective member for tires eonsisting of tough flexible material carrying a plurality of layers of short elongated strips of resilient armor material, each of. said strips being riveted at bothj'ends to the material by which the same is carried, the strips ofeach layer being slightly spaced from llie adjacent strips of the same layer, and a body of vulcanized rubber intifrposed between the successive layers of strips to prevent contact of the strips of one-layer with the strips of another layer, the strips ol one layer overlapping and being staggered with respect tothe strips of the neXt layer so that the spaces between the strips oi one layer are covered by the strips of another layer, saidstrips being so disposed in the protective member as to extend lengthwise of the periphery of the tire -When the protective member is applied to the tire.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE VVILL'IAM SHARPE.

Witnesses:

,'lHEo. G. HosTnR,

JOHN P. DAVIS. 

